Car-coupling.



w. F. RI-CHVARDS.

CAR COUPLING.

APPucmon nun 1u u 25.1 15;

' Patentil Jam 23, 1911;

3 SHEETHHEET I w. F. RICHARDS.

cm COUPLING. I APPLICATION FILED JULY 28, 19l5- Patented Jan. 23,-1917.

UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

WILLARD r. monanns, o1 nnrnw, new YORK, ASSIGNOR ro oounn COUPLERCOMPANY, on NEW Yonx, N. Y.

CAR-COUPLIN G.

To all whom it may; concern ments are especially desirable for passengercar couplers but the invention is not necessarily restricted to couplersfor use on passenger couplers.

In passenger cars the coupler and its operating mechanism are'ordinarily hidden from view beneath the platform, butler or otheroverlying parts, and it is impossible or diflicult to see the coupler soas to ascertain whether or not the knuckle is locked or unlocked. Somecouplers are provided with an operating rod which extends to the side ofthe car and operates the kick by an endwise movement of the rod. Butsuch operating means are not desirable for passenger car couplers sincethese couplers usually swing laterally through a considerable distancewhen the car is rounding curves and are 3 liable to cause the accidentalreleasing oi. the

look by reason of the operating rod binding in its guides or supports onthe car i The objectsof the inyention are to pro vide an eliicientbottom operating mechanism of simple and durable construction for carcouplers of the type mentioned, in which the lock is operated by turninga rock shaft that extends crosswise of the car from the coupler anddefinitely indicates by its position whether the knuckle is locked orunlocked, but which cannot bind in its guides or supports so as to causethe operation of the look when the coupler swings laterally the passageof the car around curves; also to make the constructicn such that thelock can be operated with the minimum exertion and so that the Weight ofthe handle of the operating shaft and the connections from the same tothe look all operate in conjunction with ,the weight of the lock to movethe lock to its locking position and prevent it from being accidentallyliftedby the jarring or vibra- Specification of Letters Patent.

detach'ahly secured thereto.

the parts of the. coupler the locking block is Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

Application filed July 28, 1915. Serial No. 42,302.

tion of the coupler; also to connect the rock-- ing operating rod to theoperating mecha 'nism in a simple and efiicient manner.

In the accompanying d1-aWings,'Figu1'e 1 is a longitudinal sectionalelevation o'ta car coupler embodying the invention, showing the lock in.its lower or locked position. Fig, 2 is a similar view showing the lockraised or released. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation thereofin line 33, Fig. 1. 4 is a similar View in line 4 4, Fig. 2'. Figs. 5and 6 are sectional plan views of the con pler respectively showing thelocked and unlocked positions of the parts. v

A represents the drawhead or coupler head, B the horizontally pivotedknuckle; and C the knuckle lock of a car coupler. The coupler head andknuckle may be'of any suitable construction. The lock consists of aheavy block, preferably of'substautially recrtangular cross section andof relatively large dimensions, which is arranged to -m ove ver" ticallyin a suitable recess 0 in the coupler head beneath the top thereof forlocking and unlocking the knuckle, and having a guide than the lock inorder that the guide hole a for the same in the bottom of the couplercan be made small enough not to weaken the coupler head. The walls e ofthe guide hole 6 are made of sufficient vertical extent to afford aproper guide for the lock, Thecoupler' head is preferably closed orsolid above the lock,'as this is-desirable'both for;

the sake of strength and to prevent the entrance of snow, ice and dirtinto thecoupler.

In order to enable the lock to be placed in position in the coupler headWithout providing a hole in the top of the header mak ing the hole inthe bottom large'en'ough for the passage of the lock, the guide stem is"made separate from the locking block and is In assembling inserted intothe head-through the usual knuckle tai'l opening f provided in the frontwall of the head and the guide stem D is then passed upwardly throughthe guide hole e in the bottom of the coupler head and secured to thelocking block; The drawings therock arm has locking block and the end ofthe stem and isscrewed into a threaded hole in the rear portion oftheloclcing block. The screw is pro ided at its front end with a screwdriver slot for turning it, and is prevented from unscrewing by a cotter'pin hwhich is,

passed through the hole in the-front end .of the screw and is seated ina recess 72 pro- 'videdfor it in the front face of the locking block.This construction permits the securing screw for the stem" and block ,tobe readily inserted and locked against accidental unscrewing,the lockingcotter pin for the screw being located in an accessible position at thefront side of the locking block.

I represents a rock shaft which. extends transversely beneath thecoupler head and is journaled to rock or turn in lugs which arepreferably formed integrally on the bottom of the coupler head, and

depend therefrom at opposite sides of the guide hole e. The lugs .a-re,in efi'ect, continuation's of the side walls'e of the guide hole andform extended side guides for the lock stem. The rock-shaft. can-beretained in the bearings by suitable means, such use key 2" passingthrough a. slot in one end of the shaft outside oi? the adjacent bearinglug. Securedto the rock shaft to turn there with between the bearinglugs isa rock arm K which extends forwardly from the rock shaft and ispivoted at its front end-to the lower end of a link Z which is suitablypiv.- oted at its upper end ina slotted recess Z in the lower end of thelock stem by a rivet or other suitable pivoi a1 connection l. The

rock EH 1 K is adapted to swing from a lower position, indicated in Fig.1, to an. upper position, indicated in Fig-2, in which its front endextends up into the guide hole a in thebottoin of the coupler'head; Thelock is raised and lowered for unlocking and locking? the knuckle by vrocking the 'rock I shaft in its bearings. As ,the front end of the rockarin 'swingsin'a nearly vertical are;

and'the linli'conne'ction with the guidestem is substantially upright,there is very little" tendency to press the guide stem laterally againstthe walls of theg'uide holein the bottom of the couplerfso that themecha nisin operates very easily and freely-and has much less tendencyto cause the lock to bind inits guide than in constructionsin which theguide stem.

extends to the side of theta-r whey it is suitable bearing a slidingengagement with provided with an operating crank handle m, the rod beingjournaied so as'to turn or rock in suitable bearings or supports (notshown) on the car. The operating rod is preferably connected to the rockshaft I by a hook m at. the inner cnd of the rod, which. passes throughan eye at on the end of'th'e rock shaft I; This eye is preferablyintegral with the rock shaft and isprovided with a cross piece n ofround cross-section which the hoop embraces, and with side walls n whichare located. at opposite sides of the hOOlixflIld are wider than thecross p'iece n ofthe eye so astdproride an extended bearing for thesides of the hook and thus strengthenthe connection and give a moreextended hear- .ing surface for tlichooli against the eye for turningthe rock shaft. Theside walls 71 of the eye diverge outwardly as shownin Fig. 4,.thus permitting the rock shaft I to swing on the llOOklIl thefore and aft movements of the coupler, in addition to the ver eye ' Alsthe lock is raised and lowered by roc'lc-' ing the transverselyextending rock shaft I in its bearings, thelock is not affected by anypull or thrust on the operating rod which might resultfroin the ,rodbinding in as" bearings when the coupler-swings laterally,

the lockby a. link connected to the rock arm and to the rstemof thelock, the lock is positively moved bythe. rocking of the operating shaftboth;.t0 raise and lower the lock-.. The. position of thecrankhandlecase in constructions 9.: due to the car rounding a curveqand sincef thearm K of the rock shaft is attached to stern of the lock 'and isnot'positiyely co'nnected thereto. When theilock israised or in its.unlocked posit-ion, the rock arm and the operating crank handle both'extend forwardly or toward the lock from;. the.rock

shaft and ..thus the. weight of the prank handle, -the rock arm and th'elink all tend. to move the lockdownwardly and hold. it in its lockedposition. The weight-of these'p'arts "thus a'cts'in conjunction-with theweight of the lock for holding the lock dOWII ClD'iltS locking positionand. preventing .it 'from junipmgupward-ly and releasing the knuckle byreason'of cou ler. p

'0 represents a knuckle-opening lever or "kicker pivoted inflthe headwith one arm ada ted to 'en'gagethe tailof' the knuckle by the lockknuckle open. I'claim as my inventionf a. coupler head and; a pivotedknuckle, of

the jarring'or vibrations oi the;

and' the other arm adapted; to he struck 1. In a-car coupler, thecombination with" a knuckle locking block arranged to move vertically ina cavity in the coupler head, a guide stem rigid with said locking blockwhich dctachably connectedto and depends from said block through aguidehole in the bottom of the coupler head in which the stem is adaptedto slide Vertically for guiding the locking block in its verticalmovements, said stern and guide hole being oflcss crosssectionalareathan said lockiug block, a rock shaft extending beneath thecoupler head crosswise thereof, bearings at the bottom of said couplerhead in which said rock shaft is journaled, an. arm which extendslengthwise of the coupler from said rock shaft below the lower end ofsaid guide stem, and a substantially upright link which is pivoted atits lower end to the free end of said rock arm and is pivoted at itsupper end: to said guide stem above the lower end thereof, both saidguide stem and said link being arranged to move through said guide holein the operation of the lock,

2. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head and a pivotedknuckle, of a knuckle-locking block arranged to move vertically in acavity in the coupler head, i

a guide stem which is-rigid with said look ing block and dependstherefrom through a guide hole in the bottom of the coupler head inwhich the stem is adapted to slide vertically for guiding the lockingblock in its vertical moverncntgsald stem and guide hole being of lesscross' sectional area than said locking block, and the lower portion ofsaid guide stemmbeing recessed for the reception of a link, a rock shaftextending beneath the coupler head crosswise thereof,

bearings at the bottom of said coupler head in which the rock shaft isjournaled, an arm which extends lengthwise of the coupler from said'rockshaft below tlie'dower end of said guide stem, and a substantiallyupright link which is pivoted tothe free end of saidarm and extends intothezrccess of said guide stem and 1S pivoted to stem above the lower endthereof, both said guide stem and said llnk being arranged to morethrough said gu de hole 1n the operation of the lock.

3;, In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler headland a pivotedknuckle, of

a knuckle lockingblock arranged to move vertically in a cavity in thecoupler head, a guide stem rigid with said block which depends from theblock through a guide hole in the bottom of the coupler head in whichthe stem is adapted to slide verticallyfor guiding the locking block inits vertical mo ements, said stem and guide hole being of lesscross-sectional area than i said locking block, a rock shaft journaled Iseparated by aspace which opens into on the coupler head beneath thebottom thereof and extend ng crosswise of the conpler, an arm fixer. toand extending from said rock shaft lengthwise of the coupler toward saidguide stem, 3, link pivotally connected to said arm and to said guidestem whereby said locking block is moved positively both up and down bythe rocking of said shaft, said rock shaft being weighted so that saidarin tends to swing downwardly to lower and hold the locking block inlooking position.

4. In a car coupler, the combination with the coupler head and a pivotedknuckle, of a knuckle locking block arranged to slide vertically in thecoupler head, a guide stem which depends from said block through a holein the bottom of the coupler in which the stem is adapted to slidevertically for guiding the locking block in its vertical m0vements,-said stem and guide hole being of polygonal cross-section and of lesscrosssectional area than said locking block, hearing lugs integral withsaid coupler head which project from the bottom thereof at oppositesides of said guide hole and are,

and connects with said guide hole at the rear side thereof, a rock shaftjournaled in said lugs and extending crosswise beneath the coupler head,a rock arm secured to said shaft and extending forwardly in the spacebetween said bearing lugs with its front end adapted to swing in asubstantially, upright are 1 id to enter said guide hole in the upperdsition of said arm, and a substantially upright link which is pivotedto said rock arm and to said guide stem.

5. In a car couplcr, the combination with the coupler head and a pivotedknuckle, a vertically movable knuckle locking block provided with areduced depending guide oured to said rock shaft and conncctedwith saidguide stcn. said rock shaft being provided at one end with an eye, andan operating rod provided w-itlra hook entering said eye for connectingsaid. rod to said shaft for turning the latter, said eve being providedat opposite sidcslof said hook with side walls which extend beyond thecross piece of'the eve and are adapted to engage the sides of the hook.

Witnessmy hand, this 26 day of July,

WILLARD F. RICHARDS. Witnesses: ALLEN B. BRIMMER, RALPH C. SMITH.

